Process and device for handling printed products

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a method and an arrangement for handling printed products by making an edge cut with the aid of a cutter. The printed products in this case are supplied to the cutter by grippers that circulate along a first conveying loop, and the edge area to be cut on the printed products positioned in the grippers is stabilized by clamping braces that can be placed against the printed products in the range of the cutter. After the edge cut is made, the printed products with the grippers are disengaged from the clamping braces and discharged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention concerns a method for handling printed products by makingan edge cut with the aid of a cutter, for which the printed products arefed to grippers that circulate with a first conveying loop and arespaced apart by maintaining a mutual distance, and which pick up theprinted products by one edge and carry them along the first conveyingloop, as well as an arrangement that can be used for implementing thismethod.

2. Description of the Related Art

With known methods of this type, as described for example in theCH-PS-668 216, the printed products are released for making the cut fromthe grippers circulating with the first conveying loop and are thusthrown from above into hoppers that are open on the top and are fixed toan endlessly circulating, driven traction element. They are subsequentlymoved perpendicular to the drive direction inside the hoppers so thatthe edges can be cut, whereupon the thus aligned printed products arecut by cutting blades that are installed fixedly and are coordinated inpairs on a second endlessly circulating, driven traction element, forwhich one of the belts runs parallel to a segment of the first tractionelement. The printed products are subsequently gripped by the grippersof a discharge conveyor that circulate at a mutual distance to eachother and are thus taken from the hoppers and discharged.

In order to ensure a reliable operation of an arrangement used forimplementing such a method, the conveying speeds of the feed conveyorand the discharge conveyor must be matched exactly to the circulatingspeed of the hoppers. Furthermore, it is necessary to exactly match therotation of the coordinated pairs of cutting blades to the rotation ofthe hoppers. In particular, the rotation of the cutting blades and thatof the hoppers must be synchronized precisely not only with respect tothe circulating speed, but also with respect to the circulating phase,because an insufficient phasing can already result in a displacement ofthe printed products in the hoppers that obstructs the further operationif one of the paired, coordinated cutting blades starts cutting theprinted product too early, that is before the respective counter bladehas been placed against it.

In view of the above described problems with the Prior Art, it is theobject of the invention to make available a method for handling printedproducts that permits making a reliable edge cut as well as anarrangement for implementing such a method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

From a procedural point of view, the solution to this problem is thatthe printed products are moved by the grippers to a second conveyingloop that is running in the same direction as the first conveying loopalong a joint movement path and which has clamping braces arranged atthe same spacing as the grippers, wherein the clamping braces during thecourse of the joint movement path are used to make a stabilizing contactwith the free edges of the printed product held by the grippers of thefirst conveying loop and that in this position, the edge cut is made bythe blade on the free edge areas of the printed products that projectover the clamping braces toward the cutter, installed immovably alongthe joint movement path and that the cut printed products subsequentlyleave the joint movement path while held by the grippers along the firstconveying loop.

With these methods, the coordination between the printed products andthe grippers that supply them continues to exist during and after theedge cut is made, so that a transfer from or to a gripper conveyor it isnot necessary either for supplying the printed products to the cutter orfor removing the printed products after the edge cut has been made.Thus, when using the method according to the invention, it is notnecessary to match the conveying speeds of different conveying means toensure the reliability of such transfers, as is necessary when using theknown methods.

By means of the stabilizing intervention of the clamping braces with thefree edge areas to be cut of the printed products positioned in thegrippers of the first conveying loop, it is furthermore possible toprevent an undesired displacement of the printed products while the edgecutting takes place, even if a blade of the cutter is placed too earlyagainst the printed product. Such an error then only results in an edgecut that differs from the desired cut, but generally is still withinpermissible tolerances. Such deviations from the edge cut normally donot represent an obstacle to further processing of the printed products.That is why the stabilization of the printed products with the clampingbraces helps increase reliability considerably for handling the printedproducts during and after the cutting of the edge.

Finally, when implementing the method according to the invention, thefeeding and discharge of the printed products occurs by means ofgrippers that circulate along one single gripper transporter, while twogripper transporters must be used with the above-described method forfeeding and removing, which must also be exactly synchronized with eachother, at least with respect to the conveying speed. This contributes tofurther to increasing the operational reliability when implementing themethod according to the invention.

An arrangement that can be used for implementing the method according tothe invention for handling printed products and making an edge cut,essentially distinguishes itself by a number of clamping braces that arearranged at the same intervals as the grippers and circulate along asecond conveying loop, synchronized with the first conveying loop alonga common movement path, into which the printed products can be insertedby the grippers during the course of the common movement path, withwhich the printed product edge areas that are not cut and are positionedin the grippers can be stabilized, as well as that the cutter forperforming the edge cut is fixed in position at the common movement pathso that the edge cut can be made at the free edge areas of the printedproducts that project over the clamping braces toward the cutter, andthat subsequent to the common movement path, the printed products can bedischarged while still in the grippers along the first conveying loop.

The printed products in the grippers are aligned comparatively roughlyfor the feeding. Furthermore, the grippers of a standard grippertransporter and thus also the printed products that are carried along,are normally subjected to considerable vibrations or even deflections.In order to ensure an exact edge cut, it is therefore advisable that thegrippers be relieved of the printed products during the course of thecommon movement path and are not attached to the printed products untilafter the edge cut has been made.

For that purpose, the grippers of the arrangement according to theinvention can be adjusted from a closed to a release position during thecourse of the common movement path.

Following the release of the grippers, the printed products can be heldby the respective clamping brace only, without having to give up theassignment to the feeding gripper. Since the clamping braces are neededonly during the course of the comparatively short common movement path,the second conveying loop can be designed considerably shorter than thefirst conveying loop. This permits a vibration- and deflection-freeguidance of the clamping braces along the second conveying loop with areasonable structural expenditure. The use of the clamping bracestherefore opens up a cost-effective option for making an exact edge cut.

In order to improve the only rough orientation of the printed productspositioned in the grippers, it is planned to displace the printedproducts after they are released by the grippers so that they can bealigned in an edge cutting position, perpendicular to the conveyingdirection.

It is useful if the clamping braces and the second conveying loop aredesigned for this in such a way that the printed products are positionedduring the displacement on one jaw of the clamping braces and arestabilized only after the displacement, perpendicular to the conveyingdirection, by attaching another jaw of the clamping brace. It is usefulif the clamping braces of the arrangement according to the invention canbe adjusted between a clamped-in position and an opened position andhave one each clamping jaw onto which the printed products can be placedin the opened position, during the course of the common movement pathand on which the printed products can be displaced perpendicular to theconveying direction by means of an alignment device, as well as anotherclamping jaw, which can be attached to stabilize the printed productsand for adjusting the clamping braces to the clamping position.

In order to adjust the clamping braces to different printed productformats, it can be provided that at least one of its clamping jaws hasat least two clamping jaw parts that can be displaced against each otherperpendicular to the conveying direction.

For the displacement, the printed products can be placed along thecommon movement path so that they drag along a guide rail. Thisplacement such that they drag, however, can lead to damage to theprinted products. It is therefore especially advantageous if for thedisplacement at least along a segment of the common movement path,slides that move along with the printed products are placed against thefree edge areas of the printed products. With the side facing away fromthe printed products, for example, these slides can fit closely againstguide rails via thereon rotatably attached rollers and can thus bedisplaced perpendicular to the conveying direction.

In general, the second conveying loop can have any optional form andcan, for example, be designed circular.

However, it is particularly advantageous if the second conveying loophas two straight segments that run parallel to each other and areconnected by semicircular loop segments. If the common movement path forsuch an embodiment of the second conveying loop runs at least in partalong a portion of the straight segments, at least one edge cutting canoccur during the course of this straight segment.

Since the free edge areas that are stabilized with the clamping bracesand project toward the cutter move along the straight segment with anunhurried, uniform movement, it is thereby possible to achieve anincreased reliability when making the edge cut. Furthermore, it issimple to extend the common movement path without reducing the vibrationand fluctuation stability of the clamping braces through this course ofthe second conveying loop. This opens up the possibility of successivelyarranging several cutters along the common movement path in aspace-saving way.

In order to realize this preferred course for the second conveying loop,the clamping braces are advantageously fixed on a traction member thatcirculates along the second conveying loop and is controlled via adriving roller and a deflection roller arranged at a distance to it.

In order to reduce the floor space required for the arrangement used toimplement the method according to the invention, the parallel-runningstraight segments are advisably arranged one above the other. It isparticularly easy to align the printed products deposited on a clampingjaw of the clamping braces if the printed products traverse through oneof the semicircular loop segments after being inserted into the clampingbraces and before the edge cut is made. During the course of thissemi-circular loop segment, the printed products are placed on oneclamping jaw of the clamping braces after the grippers are released andcan be aligned easily once the clamping braces are set to the openposition. In order to realize the above described course for the secondconveying loop, the driving roller and the deflection roller accordingto the invention preferably have roller axes positioned in a horizontalplane.

It is advisable if the edge cut is made along the lower straightsegment, on the printed products conveyed there below the grippers. Thewaste products from cutting then can drop down without falling on thegrippers or the clamping braces and can be discharged. This alsocontributes to the operational reliability of the method according tothe invention.

The free edge areas of the printed products that are stabilized with theclamping braces can be cut by using a cutter that utilizes only oneblade for making the edge cut, particularly when cutting thin printedproducts. However, in order to absorb the cutting pressure and toincrease the accuracy when making an edge cut, it is particularlyadvantageous if the cutter has at least one blade and at least onetherewith cooperating counterblade, wherein during the course of thecommon movement path, the counterblade can be fitted against a rear sideof the free edge area that projects toward the cutter and the blade formaking the edge cut acts upon the front of it.

The blade in this case is advisably moved in a direction counter to theconveying direction.

For placing it against successively supplied free edge areas that arestabilized with the clamping braces, the counterblade advisably shouldbe driven by a rotating axis that runs perpendicular to the conveyingdirection. The blade movement in the direction counter to the conveyingdirection of the printed products is particularly simple if the bladefor rotating around the rotating axis can be driven in a direction thatis counter to the rotational direction of the counterblade.

Although the method according to the invention can be implemented usingonly one counterblade and only one blade, the operating speed can beincreased by avoiding an undesirably high wear of the cutter if thecutter has several counterblades and/or blades that rotate with therespective spacing of the grippers around the rotating axis.

As already addressed in connection with the preferred arrangement of thesecond conveying loop, it is planned to arrange a corresponding numberof cutters along the common movement path for cutting several projectingedge areas of a printed product that are stabilized with the clampingbraces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in the following by referring to the drawing,to which we want to point expressly with respect to all details that areessential to the invention and are not explained further in thedescription.

The drawing shows:

FIG. 1 A view from the side of an arrangement according to theinvention;

FIG. 2a A view of a clamping brace for the arrangement shown in FIG. 1,in a first position and

FIG. 2b A view of the clamping brace shown in FIG. 2a in a secondposition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, printed products 10 aretransported along the first conveying loop 20 with grippers 22 thatcirculate along a first conveying loop 20, spaced at a distance to eachother. The grippers 22 here grip the back of the printed products 10.

Over the course of the first conveying loop 20, the printed products 10that are transported by the grippers 22 are inserted into clampingbraces 40 that circulate with the same spacing as the grippers along asecond conveying loop 30. The second conveying loop 30 has two straightsegments 32 and 34 that are arranged one above the other, and which areconnected via semicircular segments 36 and 38. The clamping braces 40are driven in the range of the semicircular segment 36 by means of adriving roller in the direction indicated by the arrow 31 and are fixedin place in the range of the semicircular segment 38 by means of adeflection roller.

The clamping braces 40 are placed into an opened position in the rangeof the lower straight segment 32 for feeding the printed products 10that are conveyed with the grippers 22 along the first conveying loop20. In this opened position, the printed products 10, together with thegrippers 22, can be inserted between a first clamping jaw 42 and asecond clamping jaw 44 of the clamping braces 40.

Following the engaging at the end of the lower straight segment 32, theclamping braces 30 are conveyed along a common movement path that runsalong semicircular segment 38 and a portion of the upper straightsegment 34 of the second conveying loop 30 such that they aresynchronized with the grippers 22. In the upper range of thesemicircular segment 38, the printed products 10 positioned in thegrippers 22 rest on the clamping jaw 42 of the clamping brace 40.

After adjusting the grippers 22 to a release position during the courseof the upper range 39 of the semicircular segment 38, the printedproducts 10 resting on the clamping jaw 42 are displaced perpendicularto the conveying direction 31 by means of a conventional alignmentdevice 70 (shown schematically in FIG. 1), for example, a slide thatacts upon their edges for aligning them in an edge cutting position,which permits a more exact edge cut.

Following the alignment, the second clamping jaw 44 is clamped to theprinted products 10 during the course of the upper straight segment 34in order to stabilize the edge to be cut. Following this adjustment ofthe clamping braces 40 to a clamping position, the edge area to be cutof the printed products 10 projects over the clamping brace 40. The edgecut can then be made in this position. The grippers 22 here can remainin the release position.

The example of cutting the front of the printed products is used toexplain how the edge cut is made. To do this, a cutter 50 is fixedlyarranged at the common movement path, toward which the front of printedproducts 10 projects over the clamping braces 40. The cutter 50 has anumber of counterblades 54 that circulate in a direction indicated bythe arrow 55 around a circulating axis 52, which is perpendicular to theconveying direction 31. The counterblades 54 are arranged along thecircular path at the same spacing as the grippers 22 or the clampingbraces 40. The circulating speed of the counterblades 54 corresponds tothe conveying speed of the grippers 22 or the clamping braces 40. Overthe course of the circular path, the counterblades 54 are placed againstthe rear, as seen in conveying direction, of the front of the printedproducts 10 stabilized with the clamping braces 40.

To perform an edge cut, the cutter 50 furthermore comprises a number ofblades 56 that circulate around the circulating axis 52 in a directionindicated by the arrow 57. The blades 56 are also arranged along thecircular path with the same spacing as the grippers 22 or the clampingbraces 40. The blades 56 that act upon the frontal portion of the frontfor printed products 10 are also driven with a circulating speed thatcorresponds to the conveying speed of the grippers 22 or the clampingbraces 40. This ensures that a specific counterblade 54 alwayscooperates with the same blade 56 for making continuous cuts on theedges of printed products 10, which are successively conveyed toward thecutter 50.

In a similar way, the edge cut is made on the top and bottom area of theprinted products 10 by means of a cutter 60 that is fixed in place indownstream direction along the straight segment 34. After leaving thecutter 60, the clamping braces 40 are changed to the opened position.The grippers 22 are simultaneously changed to the closed position for arenewed gripping of the backs of the printed products 10, and theprinted products 10 that are now carried along once more by the grippers22 leave the common movement path along the first conveying loop.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the clamping jaws 42 and 44 of clamping braces40 are designed in two parts. The area between the clamping jaw parts44a and 44b here serves to accept the gripper 22 along the commonmovement path. As can be seen when comparing the FIGS. 2a and 2b, theclamping jaw parts 44a and 44b as well as 42a and 42b can be displacedagainst each other, perpendicular to the conveying direction. Thispermits adjusting the clamping braces 40 to different printed productformats. For the position shown in FIG. 2a, the outside edges of theclamping jaw parts 44a and 44b, for example, are at a distance of 400mm, while for the position shown in FIG. 2b, they are at a distance ofonly 200 mm from each other.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment explained withthe aid of the drawing. For example, the edge cut can be made along thelower straight segment 32 as well if the printed products are insertedinto the clamping braces 40 along the upper straight segment 34 or thesemicircular segment 36. This achieves that the cutting waste coversneither the grippers 22 nor the clamping braces 40. Consequently, makingthe edge cut on printed products that are hanging below the grippers 22or the clamping brace 40 leads to further operating reliability of thearrangement according to the invention. Furthermore, it is also plannedto align the printed products prior to making the edge cut with the aidof connecting members that can be placed against the printed products.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for handling printed products to makeedge cuts thereto with a cutter, comprising:providing a first conveyingloop which circulates and which includes a plurality of grippers whichare spaced apart by a preselected spacing to maintain a mutual distancethere between; providing a second conveying loop which circulates and issynchronized with the first conveying loop along a common movement path,and which includes a plurality of clamping braces which are spaced apartby a preselected spacing to maintain a mutual distance there between,the preselected spacing between respective clamping braces of theplurality of clamping braces being the same as that between respectivegrippers of the plurality of grippers; providing a cutter arrangedfixedly at the common movement path and in alignment with a free edgearea of the respective printed products to be cut; feeding the printedproducts to respective grippers of the plurality of grippers which pickup the respective printed products by one edge thereof; carrying theprinted products by the respective grippers along the common movementpath with the first conveying loop; feeding the printed products intorespective clamping braces so that the respective clamping braces,during the course of movement along the common movement path, arebrought into stabilizing contact with respective free edge areas of theprinted products to be cut, which respective free edge areas arepositioned in the respective grippers of the first conveying loop andhave a portion which projects over the respective clamping braces towardthe cutter; and cutting the respective free edge areas of the printedproducts with the cutter to provide at least one edge cut for eachprinted product and to provide respective cut printed products.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to the cutting,releasing respective grippers, during the course of movement along thecommon movement path, from the respective printed products positionedtherein and placing the respective grippers back on the respectiveprinted products only after respective edge cuts are made.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein, following the releasing the respectiveprinted products from the respective grippers, the method furthercomprises displacing the printed products in a direction perpendicularto the conveying direction for aligning the respective printed productsin a position for edge cutting.
 4. The method according to claim 3,wherein each clamping brace of the plurality of clamping braces has apair of clamping jaws, and wherein the displacing is accomplishedbypositioning one respective printed product on one jaw of eachrespective pair of clamping jaws; aligning the respective printedproduct after positioning; and stabilizing the respective printedproduct following alignment by clamping another jaw of each respectivepair of clamping jaws in place thereon.
 5. The method according to claim3, wherein the displacing of respective printed products along thecommon movement path is accomplished by providing an alignment deviceplaced against the edge area of the respective printed product that isopposite the free edge area to be cut.
 6. The method according to claim1, wherein the second conveying loop has two straight segments that areconnected by semicircular loop segments and run parallel to each other,wherein the common movement path runs at least in part along a portionof the two straight segments, and wherein the cutting includes making atleast one edge cut to respective printed products during the course ofmovement thereof along the portion of the two straight segments of thesecond conveying loop.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein thetwo straight segments of the second conveying loop are arranged oneabove the other so that an upper straight segment and a lower straightsegment are provided.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein theprinted products conveyed along the lower straight segment are conveyedin a position below the respective grippers, and wherein the cuttingincludes making at least one edge cut to respective printed productsduring movement along the lower straight segment.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 7, wherein, after inserting the respective printedproduct into the respective clamping brace and prior to making therespective edge cut therein, the respective printed product passesthrough one of the semicircular loop segments.
 10. The method accordingto claim 9, further comprising aligning the respective printed productsduring the course of movement through said one of the semicircular loopsegments.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cutterincludes a blade and a counterblade which cooperate with one another,wherein the respective free edge areas of the printed products projectbeyond the respective clamping braces and have front and rear projectingsurfaces with respect to the direction of the common movement path,wherein the counterblade is placed against the respective rearprojecting surfaces of the printed products for making the edge cut, andwherein the blade that cooperates with the counterblade acts upon therespective front projecting surfaces of the printed products in order tomake the edge cut.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein theblade is moved in a direction counter to that of the common movementpath.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the counterbladecirculates around an axis that is perpendicular to the direction of thecommon movement path.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein theblade circulates around the axis in a circulating direction that iscounter to that of the counterblade.
 15. The method according to claims11, wherein a plurality of cutters is provided, and wherein a pluralityof edge cuts are made in each respective free edge area of the printedproducts that projects over the respective clamping brace toward therespective cutters.
 16. An arrangement for handling printed products formaking edge cuts therein, comprising:a first conveyor having a pluralityof grippers which circulate around a first conveying loop, which arespaced apart at a mutual distance, and which grip respective ones of theprinted products, respectively, by one edge thereof and move therespective printed products along the first conveying loop; a secondconveyor which moves along a common movement path and in synchronisitywith the first conveying loop, and which has a plurality of clampingbraces which circulate on a second conveying loop, which are spacedapart at a mutual distance from one another and have the same mutualdistance as that of the plurality of grippers, and into which therespective printed products are inserted during movement along thecommon movement path by the plurality of grippers, and which stabilizerespective free edge areas of the respective printed products to be cut;a cutter for cutting at least one edge cut at the respective free edgeareas of respective printed products that project over the respectiveclamping braces toward the cutter, and which is arranged fixedly at thecommon movement path; and an alignment device for perpendiculardisplacement of the respective printed products,wherein the plurality ofclamping braces are adjustable between an opened position and a clampingposition, and wherein each clamping brace has a pair of clamping jawsincluding one clamping jaw onto which one respective printed product isplaced in the opened position during movement along the common movementpath so that the respective printed products are displaceable in adirection perpendicular to the direction of the common movement path bymeans of the alignment device, and another clamping jaw clampable ontothe respective printed product after alignment by the alignment devicefor clamping and for stabilizing the respective printed product.
 17. Thearrangement according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the pair ofclamping jaws has at least two clamping jaw parts that are displacedagainst each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of thecommon movement path.
 18. The arrangement according to claim 16, whereinthe alignment device moves with the respective printed products in thedirection of the common movement path and is placed against and incontact with the respective free edge areas of the respective printedproducts.
 19. The arrangement according to claim 16, further comprisinga traction member circulating along the second conveying loop onto whichthe plurality of clamping braces are fixed in place.
 20. The arrangementaccording to claim 19, further comprising a driving roller for drivingthe traction member and a deflection roller arranged at a distance fromthe driving roller, and wherein the traction member is guided over thedriving roller and the deflection roller.
 21. The arrangement accordingto claim 20, wherein the driving roller and the deflection roller haverespective roller axes that are both positioned in a joint horizontalplane.
 22. The arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the respectiveprinted products are aligned proximate to at least one of the drivingand the deflection roller.
 23. The arrangement according to claim 16,wherein the cutter comprises at least one blade and at least onecounterblade which cooperate with one another to make respective edgecuts, wherein the respective free edge areas of the printed productsproject beyond the respective clamping braces toward the cutter and havefront and rear projecting surfaces with respect to the direction of thecommon movement path, wherein the counterblade is placed against rearprojecting surfaces of the printed products for making the respectiveedge cuts, and wherein the blade that cooperates with the counterbladeacts upon the respective front projecting surfaces of the printedproducts in order to make the respective edge cuts.
 24. The arrangementaccording to claim 23, further comprising driving means to circulate thecounterblade around a circulating axis that runs in a circulationdirection that is perpendicular to the movement along the commonmovement path.
 25. The arrangement according to claim 24, furthercomprising driving means to circulate the blade around the circulatingaxis in a direction that is counter to that of the the counterblade. 26.The arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the cutter has a rotatingaxis and comprises a plurality of counterblades and blades that eachcirculate around the rotating axis at a spacing which is the samespacing as that of the plurality of grippers.
 27. The arrangementaccording to claim 16, further comprising a plurality of cuttersarranged along the common movement path, and wherein several edge areasof respective printed products which project over the respectiveclamping braces are cut by a corresponding number of cutters.